Is Nonstick Cookware Bad for You?

You've been thinking about it for a while. That nagging thought in the back of your head: Maybe nonstick cookware isn't as safe as they say. And while I hate to be the bearer of bad news, that nagging voice in the back of your head is right: This is the year you need to get serious about ditching nonstick cookware.

Is nonstick safe?

Before we get started, I have a confession to make.

I cooked on non-stick cookware for years and only got really serious about getting it out of my house in early 2016. The things I learned in the first two weeks of 2016 about nonstick cookware bothered me. A lot. Enough that it got me out of bed in the middle of the night to write the first draft of this blog post and tell you: You need to get rid of yours, too.

For several years, if you would have asked me about buying cookware, I would have told you that nonstick is bad for you: choose stainless steel or cast iron. I would have told you that because it's true. While telling you this, though, at home I owned stainless steel and cast iron pots and pans - and also quite the collection of nonstick cookware. I felt guilty every time I used it but I used it nonetheless.

A decade ago, before I knew any better, I used cheap non-stick pans from Walmart. Then I sold Pampered Chef. During my five years as a Pampered Chef consultant, I amassed quite the collection of very high end nonstick cookware through winning contests, earning pieces during consultant promotions - to the tune of about $1000 worth of fancy cookware. 

When I was a Pampered Chef consultant, something my cousin said to me at one of the cooking show demos she attended was "I don't want to cook on chemicals." She'd asked about pots and pans and I told her about the "super awesome" nonstick cookware and that was her response. At the time, I really believed these items, made with DuPont's Autograph 2 coating, were safe - and that's what I told my friends, family and cooking show guests. Her statement, though, still haunts me. I wish I'd known better and looked into the issue more closely at the time instead of writing it off as another of her eccentricities.

So here I am: 10 years later telling you that you absolutely must make this the year to get rid of your non-stick cookware. Yes, even if it isn't flaking off in chunks that you're trying to pretend are pepper. 

What changed?

In addition to plenty of news about new findings that PFOA, PTFE, and PFAS (the main chemical components in non-stick cookware, microwave popcorn bags and grease-resistant pizza poxes) are not actually as safe as once thought, I read this brilliantly well done piece from New York Times Magazine about the long and sordid history of these chemicals and the multi-decade cover-up that happened at DuPont. Reading the full history was the tipping point for me. This is the kind of stuff everyone needs to know - and I'm doing you a disservice if I don't tell you about it. 

Is Nonstick Bad For You?

While I've read so many thousands of words on this subject in the last month, I could probably write a 10 page paper on the subject, let me break it down and make it really simple. If you want more details, on these claims, please see the very long and very detailed articles in my "Further Reading" section at the bottom of this post

Is Nonstick Bad for You? Four BIG reasons why you need to ditch your nonstick cookware ASAP: 

1. Exposure to the signature chemical components in non-stick cookware (PFOA, PTFE and PFAS) - are linked to:

• Testicular cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Thyroid disease
• High cholesterol
• Pre-Eclampsia
• Ulcerative Colitis
• Weakened immunity
• Liver inflammation
• Obesity

2. Toxic fumes from nonstick cookware being used at too high a temperature can kill pets - birds are especially susceptible. I'm not talking about using it carelessly- in some cases, leaving an empty pan on the stovetop for just 2 minutes can create enough toxic fumes to kill birds - yikes!

3. Toxic fumes from overheated cookware can also called flu-like symptoms in humans - often called "Teflon Flu" by industry insiders. Symptoms of Teflon flu include diarrhea, headaches, nausea, fever and malaise.

4. Pregnant moms exposed to the chemicals in non-stick cookware have a higher incidence of:

• Low birth weight babies
• Birth defects
• Pre-Ecclampsia
• Pregnancy related hypertension

What you need to know before you throw away your Pampered Chef Pots and Pans

My friend, Leah, who runs Mamavation put out a call in early 2016 in light of the recent news stories about the DuPont cover up urging people to throw their nonstick pans away. 

Before you do anything: Do not actually throw your pans in the trash!

Now, you should absolutely stop using them. But let me tell you why you shouldn't throw them away just yet: You might be able to use them to help you get better pans.

If you literally throw your pans in the trash, you are out whatever money you paid for those pans AND you will need to spend money on new pans. Many companies, though, have a guarantee on their pans. Here are useful guarantees and exchange policies I know about:

Pampered Chef: UPDATE April 2018: I used to tell people who owned Pampered Chef nonstick cookware to make a warranty claim on their worn out pans and pay the difference to replace them with stainless steel. As of April 2018, the all-stainless steel pans from Pampered Chef are no longer available. 

Instead, I think your best option is to sell them second hand and use the cash to buy yourself good stainless steel cookware. 

If you have Pampered Chef Executive Cookware (the high end Pampered Chef nonstick pots and pans), it comes with a lifetime warranty on scratches, dings, etc. Take a good look at your cookware. If you have scratches, dings, peeling in the surface, etc call 1-888-687-2433 and tell them you want to make a warranty claim on your piece(s). Then tell them that you are concerned about the durability or safety of the non-stick and ask if you can get product credit at Pampered Chef instead. Use the product credit to buy anything BUT cookware from them - I am still a fan of their stoneware and their glass batter bowls make excellent non-toxic measuring cups.

Bed, Bath and Beyond: Bed, Bath and Beyond has one of the most amazing and generous return policies. If you bought your pans at Bed, Bath and Beyond (even if you do not have the receipt), you can return them to any of their stores. Tell them you bought it there and are unhappy with it and want to exchange it for store credit to get different pans instead. The pan doesn't even need to be damaged!

Nordstrom: Nordstrom doesn't actually have a return policy but they are always striving to satisfy their customers. If you bought your cookware at Nordstrom (even if you do not have the receipt), return it to any of their stores. Tell them you bought it there, are unhappy with it and want to exchange it for store credit to get different pans instead. The pan doesn't even need to be damaged!

Costco: Costco is another company with an amazing return policy. They WANT you to be happy with your purchases so if you aren't (even if it's because you didn't know when you bought them that nonstick pans were bad for your health) you should be able to return them anyway. They will need your Costco card in order to find your receipt electronically.

These are just the companies whose policies I know about.  If your cookware manufacturer or vendor isn't on this list, call them anyway. Tell them you are unhappy with a pan (or cookware set...whatever it is) you bought from them and you want to know if you can exchange it for a different one - and then choose stainless steel or cast iron. And would you do me a favor? After you call, let me know how it went in the comments. I'd love to update this post with other companies who will work with you on exchanges to make you happy.

If you have tried to get the company you got your cookware from to exchange and they still say no, at that point you can throw your pans away. Check out what you should replace them with below!

What is the Safest and Healthiest Cookware & Bakeware?

So you're ditching non-stick (yay!). Now you need healthy pots and pans that won't make you sick and actually work! The good news is, there are lots of great options out there. Here are some of my favorites:

Best performing healthy pots and pans

I am big not just on healthy and safety, but on performance, too. I realize that if I tell you to go buy healthy pots and pans but they don't actually work then my name is going to become your new favorite household swear word because you already threw out your pots and pans that performed well even if they made you sick. These pots and pans below are healthy and live up to the hype: You won't regret these purchases.

Best healthy pots and pans: Stainless Steel

Stainless steel pots and pans are easy to find but not all are created equally. My personal favorite stainless steel pans are from The Pampered Chef but unfortunately they were discontinued in April of 2018. If you can find all-stainless steel Pampered Chef cookware (NOT the stuff that is stainless on the outside and nonstick on the inside) on the second hand market, BUY IT! You won't regret it.

Other great places to buy stainless steel cookware are Macy's, Nordstom or Bed Bath and Beyond. If you just need the least expensive, non-toxic pans possible, check out Amazon, IKEA or Ross. The really inexpensive pans won't perform as well or feel as balanced BUT you'll have a healthy surface to cook on and that means a lot! Plus, you can always upgrade later as funds allow.

Best Healthy Nonstick Option: Cast Iron

Cast iron is a great option in your kitchen. We personally own a 12" skillet, an 8" skillet and a Long Griddle/Grill and use them all the time. In fact, the 12" skillet is my favorite pan to make both pancakes and fried eggs in. I always buy my cast iron items from Lodge because the pieces are not only high quality but affordable and made in America. 

You can get vintage cast iron at thrift stores but beware of cast iron pieces if you don't know their history - before the dangers of lead were well known, lead hobbyists would use cast iron to melt down lead to use to cast their own figurines. To be sure a vintage piece is safe, bring some 3M Lead Check swabs shopping with you. If the swab turns pink or red, don't buy it! If it turns black or orange, that's just some of the seasoning wiping off. Only be concerned with a pink or red reading on a swab.

One of the big reasons I love cast iron is its natural nonstick performance. If you use real butter and turn your heat down lower than you would for another type of pan, your cast iron pan will be able to run circles around your other pots and pans. I love over easy eggs and cast iron is how I make that happen!

Not sure how to care for cast iron. It's easy! Let me teach you how.

Is Pampered Chef Stoneware Safe?

YES! From cookie sheets to casserole dishes, Pampered Chef has a stoneware dish that you can use to swap out for nonstick ones - and they will perform better, too! They are the only brand of Stoneware I buy. (If you want your own, buy them here from my friend Terri. Tell her I sent you) You can get some of the Pampered Chef stoneware items on Amazon but truthfully, you'll get a better deal by going through Terri.

Share this!

If you found this post, helpful, informative or insightful, please share it on social media. 

For further reading about the dangers of nonstick pots and pans, please also see: 

• Despite Clear Dangers, DuPont Keeps Using Toxic Chemical (New York Times)
• Teflon Chemical Harmful at Small Doses: PFOA Found in 97 Public Water Systems in 27 States (Environmental Working Group)
• The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare (From New York Times Magazine)
• The Teflon Toxin - DuPont and the Chemistry of Deception (From The Intercept)
• DuPont’s deadly deceit: The decades-long cover-up behind the “world’s most slippery material” (from Salon)
• Skip the Non-Stick to Avoid the Dangers of Teflon (from Environmental Working Group)
• Teflon Toxicosis is Deadly to Pet Birds: Are We At Risk? (from The Environmental Working Group)
• EWG's Guide to Avoiding PFCs (from Environmental Working Group)

About the Author:

Carissa Bonham is a lifelong crafter and mom of two creative boys. The owner and lead writer at Creative Green Living, she won the Craftys Award for the "Best Craft Blogger" category in 2016 and the ShiftCon award for "Best DIY Blogger" in 2018.

Her goal is to empower families to make easy projects and healthier choices that are beautiful and delicious! She is also the author of the hardcover cookbook, Beautiful Smoothie Bowls (Skyhorse, 2017) and Proven Techniques for Keeping Healthy Chickens (Skyhorse, 2018). 

Her projects have been featured in magazines like Kids Crafts 1-2-3, Capper's Farmer and Urban Farm Magazine. Follow her on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter or join the Creative Green Living Tribe.

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